Motomanų Diskusijos » Kelionės ir poilsis » Good day everybody!

Good day everybody!

Good evening friends! I'm Vangelis from Athens, Greece and I'm planning to travel to your country during the mid-July season, so I needed to find a motorcycle board to ask some info.

By the way, it's VERY difficult to register if you don't know Lietuviai! But this amazing guy (Midazzz) helped alot to accomplish this! Thank you Midazzz!

So, here's my background:

I have a Honda CBR600F (not the F Sport) and I'll be travelling from Patra (Greece) to Venice (on the 14th of July) and from Venice directly to Lietuva. So, my trip (as ViaMichelin says) will be through Austria, Czech, Poland and finally to Lietuva.

Of course, this cannot be done in one single day, I'll probably sleep somewhere outside prague, close to the Polish borders.

Next day hopefully I'll reach my destination.

I need to ask if any of you have done this trip (or part of it!)

I've been from Venice to Austria (in 2005), but my real concern is Czech,Poland & your country of course! I hope I won't stop to Poland at all and go directly to Siauliai (my destination, since I've got a friend there).

My questions now (might be too many!!):

A)How's the road condition in Poland ? Anyone has any idea if there is any on-line road map or at least what highway should I take to pass through Poland ?

B)In Lietuva, how's the roads ? I suppose they must be in a lot better shape than our national roads, for sure!

C)What about gas stations on the highway ? Everybody knows that Honda has almost the highest fuel consumption, so I've got a fuel autonomy of 170-200km MAX! Do you think I might end up to problems ?

D)Any info on the tolls ?

E)In case of a motorcycle breakdown, are there any Honda or generally "good" mechanics around ?

F)And my favorite : What about police ? What's the speed limits generally ?

Thank all of you very much, I hope I wasn't annoying !!

PS. I'm trying to learn lithuanian, so .... please be easy on me!

hi i'll try to tell some thing to about traveling in Lithuania and Poland as well...
polish roads are not so bad. especially if you gonna take the highway. but in suburbian roads you will meet lot of trucks and tight ways so, if the weather gonna be bad, rainy - you'd better take a rest in a hotel
Lithuania: roads are pretty good I'd say and not so much traffic as in Poland. there will be only about 30 km of way where you'd better drive not more than 120 km/h (by the way - the city you will have to pass is where I live - Alytus )
then - higway (about 100 km) and when you get off it - there will be good road also right to Siauliai about 70 km
police in Poland - BAD but it's not very cassual to meet them on the roads. and polish drivers (especially trucks) blinks with the lights when the police is on the road
Lithuanian police... some are owesome, some are lets hope you'll not meet them
speed limits: in town - 50km/h out of town - 90 km/h highway - 110 km/h but nobody is so slow there

hope i'd said something usefull if any more questions appears - please, don't hesitate,we are pleased to help

hello Vangelis,
it is nice to see you with the english topic over here. i am sorry for inconvenience during your registration.

A) i've never ridden a bike on Poland, but driving conditions going by car are bad in higway. there are a lot of furrows there, so i am not sure if it is safe to run over ~120 km/h. there are many areas with speed limit 70km/h (but i've noticed more signs telling "70km/h limit is over" ). you need to avoid driving at night!

B) i can't compare our roads with ones in Greece, but conditions are worse than in Germany and the best of all Lithuanian neighbours.

C) there is no problem to meet a gas station at least every 50km in Lithuania. i hope there should be enough of them in Poland too.

D) no tolls in LT, unless you want to go to NIDA witch is a cape in the Baltic see. it will cost 60-80 litas for one person+bike.

E) not sure about that

F) you (as a foreigner) can pay fines in cash. if you act friendly you can try to make a bit cheaper deal, you know generally you can go 100 km/h in country area, but if you go a bit faster there is no big problem.

hope it helps

Well well well. It is nice to meet some foreigners here I thought motomanai.lt has english version... Now I see that I was wrong I am not such Poland investigator as Suzis, but about bad Poland roads everybody know, so be carefull there. Cops - Only one time a have been travelling through Poland by bus, and as I can remember 3 times we were stopped there.
In Lithuania. I should say, that for foreigners here it is better situation. One friend of mine was stopped by police, and as he was foreigner, very fast he was let out without paying a cent, only because cops couldn't speak with foreigner (didin't know language ). But of course you can be not so lucky

And what is more If some questions occurs, do not hesitate to ask Motomanai.lt is one of the best "help" sites I have ever seen.

Thanks guys !!! Didn't expect that much info !!
You're great !

Suzys: I've also heard that Polish roads are bad.... and I'm a little bit scared ! I guess I'll have to stick to the 120km/h limit to be ok (this should be a rule for me when I visit other countries, but sometimes my right hand moves by itself ! )
I'll print all the info you've said. Very helpful !

Sponke:
a)I'll try to avoid riding at night like hell !
c) That's perfect ! (about the gas stations!)
f) Got it !

Talkee:
Maybe I should start talking Greek to the cops to avoid the fine if they pull me over! (Lets hope it will work!)
----

As a general rule, I'll try to stick with the motorways and avoid the national roads, since I don't know the road conditions. Anyone knows which motorway I should keep driving ? Up to now, I've got 3 different routes (motorways) to reach my destination.

I don't know how to thank you guys for this precious info!

don't be so scared of that Poland it's not so bad as you may think, just you'll have to be a bit more carefull than usually
IF you gonna need any asistance or advices about traveling in LT - 60km from the polish-Lithuanian border is Alytus be my guest we can provide you to the highway. I gonna be just married, so maybe you'll can guide us (with my wife) to the greece for a honney moon

Hello ! It's me again.
I've been looking the ViaMichelin online trip planner. Nice tool ! What I've got is this:

A)Venice - Austria - Nurnberg (Germany) - Berlin - Poland - Kalliningrad - Lithuania
2100km - 1350 km on motorways - Cost: 190 euro (nice cost calculator!)

B)Venice - Austria - Czech - Poland - Kalliningrad - Lithuania
1962km - 658 km on motorways - Cost : 185 euro

Personally, if I don't have any other choice, I would prefer A, but I'm just curious : What's up with Kalliningrad ??? Do I have to get a Visa for Russia to pass from there ? Isn't there any other route, but ONLY through Kalliningrad ??? I had Poland in my mind (the difficult part of the trip), now I've got Kalliningrad too ?

Thanks again my friends!

Citata:

Cituoju: Suzis don't be so scared of that Poland it's not so bad as you may think, just you'll have to be a bit more carefull than usually IF you gonna need any asistance or advices about traveling in LT - 60km from the polish-Lithuanian border is Alytus be my guest we can provide you to the highway.

Thank you my friend!

Citata:

I gonna be just married, so maybe you'll can guide us (with my wife) to the greece for a honney moon

You're going for a honey moon in Greece ? Way to go !!!! And yes ... if it's on my route back, why not ???

forget about Kaliningrad why do you want to pass it? go somewhere aroun Warszaw and than to Suwalki than you;re in Lithuania and without any Russia
 

Suzis is right. Use the route B without any doubts.. it's difficult enough to drive through poland (avoid the night time!) then why you wanna make everything even worse with Kaliningrad the route B is ok. and it's a probability that we will really decide to go to greece, so it wont be so boring to go back for you

if you come few days earlier, on the 10th of June we have the biggest moto celebration in our country - BikeShow Millennium 2006 in Kaunas (www.bikeshow.lt). i suggest to see that

sponke he's comming on JULY not June

Citata:

Cituoju: Suzis forget about Kaliningrad why do you want to pass it? go somewhere aroun Warszaw and than to Suwalki than you;re in Lithuania and without any Russia

I didn't wanted to pass through it! That dang ViaMichelin site always showed me that I had to pass through there. Maybe they're getting extra money if they send people over there!
Thanks again Suzis, I'll stick with your map !

Citata:

Cituoju: Stinger I just have one question as I have Honda CBR F3 Sport-touring motorbike myself, what is the model of yours? A photo would be nice...

Hmm.... let's hope it will work !

And I've got a killer look on this photo !
 

Good bike And clean also

By the way. Leave that d.a.m.n ViaMichelin and buy a catalog of Europe road maps. It will be more useful for you. It will help you especially in Poland, also in Lithuania. Don't be afraid of Poland. Just remember that there is a hard traffic many trucks and don't push it hard there, cause you never know what is ahead there. Driving at night is not a good idea there. Lithualian roads are quite good, but as Polish drivers, lithuanians also are "not very kind for motorcyclists". So you'd better understand that nobody sees you and don't be too close to a car. DRIVE ON A HIGH BEAM. There is also one more thing that nobody mentioned: NEVER LEAVE YOUR BIKE ALONE, except in secure parking with a watchman. Parkings near motels don't count. In other way you'll have to go home by bus or plane. The same is with your documents, money, phone, etc. Keep them with you. Everything else is ok, don't be afraid. Gas stations and petrol quality won't be a problem, roads either, just get a set of maps and don't ask for the way drunk people ant youngsters who drive VW Golf 2 tuning or BMW 3 tuning and have a three stripes brand adidas. They might beat you, especially in Siauliai Lithuania is a quite normal country. What about the mechanics. Don't brake your bike there, it will be a big problem. There are not many good moto mechanics here. My advice. Get some of our members phone numbers before your trip. We have members from many parts of Lithuania and you wont find better friend and help than our forum member. If you go around Kaunas, i can give you my phone number.

Citata:

By the way. Leave that d.a.m.n ViaMichelin and buy a catalog of Europe road maps. It will be more useful for you. It will help you especially in Poland, also in Lithuania.

Found a shop that has road maps, so I'm going to buy them very soon!

Citata:

Don't be afraid of Poland. Just remember that there is a hard traffic many trucks and don't push it hard there, cause you never know what is ahead there. Driving at night is not a good idea there. Lithualian roads are quite good, but as Polish drivers, lithuanians also are "not very kind for motorcyclists".

Hehehe... EXACTLY the same situation here also!

Citata:

There is also one more thing that nobody mentioned: NEVER LEAVE YOUR BIKE ALONE, except in secure parking with a watchman. Parkings near motels don't count. In other way you'll have to go home by bus or plane. The same is with your documents, money, phone, etc. Keep them with you. Everything else is ok, don't be afraid.

Sounds fare !

Citata:

What about the mechanics. Don't brake your bike there, it will be a big problem. There are not many good moto mechanics here.

It's not that I'm planning to ... but you definitely know Murphy's law ! "If something has to go bad, it will go bad!"

Citata:

My advice. Get some of our members phone numbers before your trip. We have members from many parts of Lithuania and you wont find better friend and help than our forum member. If you go around Kaunas, i can give you my phone number.

Interesting! So, if anyone receives a call from me, it means that I'll be in trouble!

I really appreciate this info! All of you are very kind!Thanks alot guys! Keep it up!

while being aound Alytus (from Polish border to Alytus then from Alytus to Kaunas) you can take Suzis or mine phone number. It will be a pleasure to help the person with the same attitude to the moto-lifestyle

If You'll be somewhere around Vilnius, and need directions or help, just give me call. Will be glad to help you out. My cell phone # is +370 611 45950 (Mindaugas)

By the way, there are lots of peolpe that could help in time of need when you're in Lithuania, so just give one of us a call - I think it'll be a peasure for us.

Angliškai aš neparašysiu,bet jei kas galit-išverskit:
jei jis nori lenkus ir čekus tik pervažiuoti,nepasižvalgant,tai geriau čekus lenkti,nes daug maloniau bus važiuoti autobanu nuo Nurnbergo iki Berlyno,paskui tik per lenkus,įvažiavus per Frankfurt/Oder muitinę toliau eina apie 140km A2 kelio,tada yra posūkis į >"Avtoban Platny",iki Konino puiki autostrada (aplenkiant Poznanę su jos kamščiais) su keliomis kolonėlėmis,parkingais,bus 3 mokėjimo punktai,mašinai vienas kainuoja 11 zl,motui bus pigiau,pasibaigus autostradai reiktų sekti: Konin>Kutno>Plock>Ciechanow>Ostroleka>Lomza>Augustow>Suwalki>Kaunas

čia tiesiausias kelias,ir sąlyginai nėra labai blogas.

Citata:

Cituoju: T-max Angliškai aš neparašysiu,bet jei kas galit-išverskit: jei jis nori lenkus ir čekus tik pervažiuoti,nepasižvalgant,tai geriau čekus lenkti,nes daug maloniau bus važiuoti autobanu nuo Nurnbergo iki Berlyno,paskui tik per lenkus,įvažiavus per Frankfurt/Oder muitinę toliau eina apie 140km A2 kelio,tada yra posūkis į >"Avtoban Platny",iki Konino puiki autostrada (aplenkiant Poznanę su jos kamščiais) su keliomis kolonėlėmis,parkingais,bus 3 mokėjimo punktai,mašinai vienas kainuoja 11 zl,motui bus pigiau,pasibaigus autostradai reiktų sekti: Konin>Kutno>Plock>Ciechanow>Ostroleka>Lomza>Augustow>Suwalki>Kaunas čia tiesiausias kelias,ir sąlyginai nėra labai blogas.

T-max wrote in Lithuanian, so I'll try to translate it into English.

If you want to pass Poland and Czech without sight-seeing, you can skip the Czech Republic. It will be A LOT easier to take the highway from Nurnberg to Berlin. Then it's only Poland. After passing the Frankfurt/Oder cutoms, it's about 140km of A2 road. Then - a turn to "Avtoban Platny". Up to Konin, the highway is great (leaving Poznane with all of it's traffic jams behind). There are a few gas stations, parkings, and 3 toll points on the way (11 zlots per car, motorcycles go cheaper). After the highway ends, you should follow these directions:
Konin > Kutno > Plock > Ciechanow > Ostroleka > Lomza > Augustow > Suwalki > Kaunas

This is the shortest, and, in a way, it's quite good.

nagis fotkej-tai jis man pradzioje tik pamacius - Edi primine kazhkuom (Ziurke)

English: Latrodectus - When i saw your photo-i think: ooo-it's our friend Edis (Ziurke)

I'm driving car every year from Austria or Italy to Lithuania, but in winter time from Alps. So, I would suggest my expierence of way.
This year I followed direction Villach(A)-Salzburg-Wien (higways)-Brno(CZ)-Prostejov-Teshin(mostly- 80% higway)- Katovice(PL)- Warsaw (not best quality higway)- Bialystok- Suwalki - Kalvarija(LT) roads, good quality enough and renovating every day. You have to count ,that to cross Poland You will ride not less 700 km to 800 km( depends on route You choose). So make a decision about sleeping places or riding intervals.

Liutas, good description of Siauliai . Latrodectus wishes to visit friend in Siauliai.

Better route to 1

.
 

Next route

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Next route 3

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Crusader, I've uploaded your images to another server. Other way, they would have been automatically resized

Crusader you're amazing! Especially the comments on Route part 3 ! Hahahaha!!

Now ... the conclusion comes to this :
If I want sightseen & pass through Czech, follow Crusader's & Meduz way.

If I want only to reach my destination, follow T-Max's route.

Almost same km on each route, one has a lot of highways, the other not. Hmm....it's up to me actually !

Good commenting everybody!

And now I want to share with you, why I *HATE* driving at evening and nights. The following picture was taken after driving for 4 hours from 17:00 till 21:00 from Genova to Verona (Italy) last summer. Of course, all of you know why!
 

Try driving along lakes or rivers in Lithuania - you'll get even more bugs, and, probably, bigger ones (But that is Off-topic)

By the way, how do you people say "hello" to other motorcyclists ? Using the "european method" of the right foot ?

Here in Greece we're either playing with the high beam (like a signal that cops are on the road) or by hand (whenever possible!)